Phi-Fic Chapter 203 Neighborhood Arc: Hibiki
Chapter 203 Neighborhood Arc: Hibiki
Burning, exploding, blooming, bursting open like a flower in the center of the city, the dazzling flames leveled a square kilometer of the city.
How beautiful it is! Combined with the explosions that are taking place here, Rion, who is still running away crying in the distance, doesn't think so.
"Aaaaaah! Don't come any closer! Even though I can't sing anymore... I don't want to join your 'family'! Someone, please save me!"
Despite being a ruler just like the "Puppet Master," Rinemu had no power whatsoever. She was like a baby who only knew how to cry, being chased around.
Perhaps out of a playful attitude, or perhaps because even the doll knew how weak she was, they didn't pursue her too closely, but simply followed behind, constantly adding pressure to Rion with their playful antics.
"Wow! Don't run away, we won't hurt you!" "Soon, very soon! You can join us in just one blink!" "Run faster! Run faster, it's so much fun!"
Similar words reached the girl's ears. Although Rion wanted to retort, the approaching weapon made it impossible for her to think.
Because she is a quasi-spirit of the Ninth Domain, she has no means of fighting back, and her physical strength is even ridiculously poor. She is already panting heavily.
"I don't want to die! You wicked Wuming! Hijikata-san! Ayame-san! Save me, I don't want to die!"
This desperate shout echoed throughout the city, and even Caiyan, who was carrying earth and listening to the nagging as he moved forward in the distance, could hear it.
"Um?!"
"Hey? Why did you stop? Colorful Eyes! Are you even listening to me?!"
"Come down quickly, we've found it!"
"Found it?!"
"Yes, I heard that sound! And it sounds like you're in danger. It's been a whole night, your injuries should be almost healed. Come down quickly! It looks like we need to get there right away!"
"Yay! Great!"
After their sweet chat ended, Hijikata Masami and Ayame both ran off in that direction at top speed.
At the same time, those who heard the shout were Shirley Mujika, who was rapidly leaping between buildings and happened to be nearby.
"Huh? Did I just hear a shout? Sit up. Where are we going now? Boss, over there... Tonami."
"Oh, was there a shout just now? The new voice is probably that Miss Kiri Rion, she's definitely a friend of that person, so let's go help her to repay the debt!"
This was the first time Sherry had ever heard Tomi speak so righteously. For a moment, she even suspected that her partner had been possessed, but she did not refuse because she could repay a debt of gratitude.
However, since it just arrived during the day, the Nameless Angel is currently unusable, and it will take some time to replenish solar energy.
Rinpa Sie and Sherry Mujika quickly headed in the direction from which the sound came.
At this moment, Rion was cornered, and the dolls gradually surrounded her, their faces full of mockery.
"Hehe, can't run anymore, huh? Be a good boy and join us."
Just as the puppets were about to make their move, Rinpa Shige appeared like a ghost, leaping down from above and swiftly slicing off the neck of the puppet in front of her with the war wheel she was holding.
"Wow! That was close! Are you alright?"
Sherry, who then jumped down, looked at Rion with curiosity, reached out to help her up, and asked casually.
"Huh? I'm fine! Wait, are you alright..."
"We're here! It's up to you, Zhengmei!"
Ayame, who arrived shortly after, looked at the dolls in the alley and shouted to Hijikata beside him without hesitation.
"Haha, I've made you carry this for so long, leave this little thing to me! Shatter those [fallen gods]!"
The moment the voice fell, Hijikata Yoshimi leaped upwards without hesitation, with the momentum of a thousand troops. The nameless angel that had been borrowed for a long time was quickly recalled and slashed at the two puppets in front of him.
(Aaaaaah!)
All the puppets were destroyed, allowing the five people in the alley to see each other clearly.
Rion was taken aback at first, then her eyes flashed with surprise, and she shouted loudly:
"We're saved! Ms. Hijikata Masami! Ms. Ayame! Ah... what's going on here?"
But there was no touching reunion as I had imagined. Instead, Hijikata Masami stood in front of Ayame and watched Sherry and Tonami, who were blocking Rion's way, with a serious expression.
...Meanwhile, on Wuming's side...
The body had been chopped into pieces, leaving only the head lying on the ground like scraps, the four puppets surrounding it, and Ibusuki Panie standing quietly to the side observing.
"Ugh, so boring. It was all over in a flash. I could have gone over there to take a look... What a pity, there's still trash to clean up here."
With a cute face, she spoke cold and heartless words, sitting on a wooden box to the side, the doll girl speaking somewhat impatiently.
Boring...very boring. Even though the opponent's life functions had long been cut off and his spiritual power had dissipated, the master still made him take a few remaining puppets to clean up Wuming's remaining flesh and blood.
"How boring... It's all because of him! I clearly have so much more time to dedicate to my master!"
She casually walked up to the nameless head, and because she still felt angry, she humanely kicked it, then took a few more steps to try and crush it.
Just as the foot was about to land, the mind in this head seemed to be rapidly immersing itself.
"How many times has this happened? It seems like it's died again... Has it not been reborn?"
Similar thoughts flashed through his mind. There was no doubt that he had really been in a lot of pain when he was being torn to pieces. The pain was almost like a venom spreading throughout his body and even reaching his bone marrow.
Wuming seemed to be immersed in this pain until the face he could no longer remember flashed before his eyes.
"Ming, don't fall asleep!"
When these words reached my ears, they were indeed thoughts in my mind, or rather, words I had heard countless times when I hovered between death and survival.
"I was thinking of taking a nap... but she's still here waiting for me... I can't fall asleep yet... I have to wait until I see her..."
Thinking this, I seemed to hear my own heartbeat, as if someone was gripping my heart and making it throb. In my confusion, I seemed to see a tree.
The tree drooped down a strand of silk, as if trying to reconnect with its own heart, slowly wrapping itself around it and constantly moving.
【Cruel】This guidance seems to be singing a song for its owner once again.
And it's from the Fifth Realm~
'boom! '
The surrounding volcanoes all erupted, and countless lava flows spread across this harsh wasteland—a scene most often witnessed by the quasi-elves of the Fifth Realm.
Buried deep beneath the earth's veins, within a black crystal, the black cane also pulsates, like a heart driving the magma deep within the earth's veins.
Just as Ibusuki Panie was about to step down, Wuming's head suddenly burst into flames, which quickly coalesced into a spear that instantly pierced through Ibusuki Panie.
Ibusuki Panie stared wide-eyed at the scene before her in disbelief. She never expected that this seemingly dead head would suddenly retaliate.
"What's going on! Who is it! Who attacked me! Aaaaaaah!"
Upon seeing this, the four surrounding puppets immediately rushed forward, eager to avenge Ibusuki Panie. However, the nameless flaming spear moved like a living thing among the puppets, piercing them one by one.
The puppets were burned to ashes by the flames.
The crystal within Ibusuki Panie was removed and laid on the ground, its life force gradually fading. Meanwhile, on Wuming's head, the flames grew ever stronger, gradually forming his body, as if proclaiming the rebirth of this king.
Along with the body being reconstructed in the flames came the whisper that the boy had repeated countless times:
"...How many more times must I die before I can see her again..."
Let's turn our attention back to Kurumi's side~
It's fair to say that Kurumi really put in a lot of effort to cause this explosion.
The very idea of obtaining two hundred spirit crystal explosives is insane enough. Just one spirit crystal explosive is enough to turn the tide of a battle. So, logically, one should be enough, and even then, accepting the other party's unreasonable and overbearing terms is unacceptable.
Collecting two hundred pieces would usually arouse suspicion. When suspicion arises, the "puppet master" will analyze the information and devise a countermeasure.
To avoid this situation, Kurumi changes her appearance, voice, height, and even personality with each transaction.
It took a long time to set up each fake house little by little, to avoid being discovered by the "puppet master".
...Kurumi Tokisaki realized that she was the one manipulating the puppets when she survived.
Since she is an elf, she should be cautious and use all available combat power.
To deal with a thousand dolls, Kurumi could only think of large-scale explosions.
Of course, this was a bad bet. Tormented by a sense of helpless despair, I had trouble sleeping more than once.
However, I won.
I almost collapsed to the ground from the relief I felt—but I managed to hold on.
He was just one step away from victory, from revenge. To avenge her.
"Yuying...Yuying, wait a little longer, wait for me a little longer..."
The conversation ended there. Standing before Kurumi was Ibusuki Panie; the other Ibusuki Panie, who should have been dead, was placed here.
"That's right, her name is Xiying, right? I understand. I finally understand!"
"...You're still alive? That's unbelievable."
Kurumi's fingers climbed onto the old pistol. Ibusuki Panie gave a serene, angelic smile in denial.
"No...no, she's not alive. Because Panie is already dead."
"Oh dear, really? So you're on the same side as Frith? Is your little body also crammed with dolls?"
Panie nodded with a smile after hearing what Kurumi said.
"That's right! Let me think... Panie has about four hundred in her storage facility. And there are about fourteen hundred on standby!"
Kurumi couldn't understand that number for a moment.
"What……?!"
"So, there are still about 1,800 left! Hmm, we've never lost more than 1,000 before! Panie will probably be very touched! So, there are about 2/3 left~ Keep it up!"
"...Is this just a bluff? You've been pushed to this point, haven't you?"
Kurumi thought to herself, it was a miracle that her voice didn't tremble. Were there still 1800 people left?
How could I possibly have a chance of winning...!
"Don't worry! Because you're an elf, right? [Unlike the quasi-elves we've trampled on, who are just commonplace creatures, right?]"
silence.
Kurumi endured the heart-wrenching fear.
"...I am Tokisaki Kurumi."
Like Proccius, he opened his mouth wide and took out a puppet of Ibusuki Panieye, which was indeed the same as the Frost doll.
Familiar spirit armor, familiar weapons, familiar faces.
The moment Kurumi saw the doll, her fighting spirit vanished without a trace.